AUTOIMMUNE DIABETES - THE ROLE OF THE ISLETS OF LANGERHANS

Whether autoimmunity results primarily from a defect of the immune sys tem, target organ dysfunction or involves both, is unresolved in most autoimmune diseases. Here, Francoise Homo-Delarche and Christian Boita rd argue that the activation of islet-specific lymphocytes, which lead s to the development of autoimmune diabetes, does not occur in the abs ence of pancreatic beta cells and that islet dysfunction detected earl y in the diabetes process might also contribute to autoimmune activati on.